The second half of this book so vastly outranks the first - in characterisation, prose, narrative drive and so on - that it's almost bizarre. I suppose (knowing we're in the hands of a very good writer) it's possible to believe this disjunction is intended, but I would not have persevered beyond the fiftieth page had it not been that I admire the writer!Also, I'm always a little irritated by books which are very patently setting out to do Something In Particular (in this case, the whole disaffected narrator thing). "This is How" is a sad tale of a man whose life turns from bad to worse. Set in the UK, the main character, Patrick is to be pitied for the circumstances in which he finds himself. This is a thrilling story obviously drawn from the author's previous life as a lawyer. It's a page turner. I read it in a week. However, I was disappointed with the ending - I was hoping it was going to be more dramatic.
What do You think about This Is How (2009)?
This was a really good book, but for the ending. The ending was just an end, but no closure.
—katnissE123
Very slow and the dialog went on and on and on...
—Coops87